Destroyed Phones, Fatal DUI, South Carolina State House Battle – Week In Review 1/6/2024

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It was a tremendously hectic start to 2024 – as this jam-packed edition of our popular Week In Review segment attests.

The big news? The stage has officially been set for convicted killer Alex Murdaugh‘s retrial hearing in Columbia, S.C. later this month. Dates and times for these proceedings – which will be heard by former S.C. supreme court chief justice Jean Toal – are now on the books, along with a media order and a protective order setting the ground rules for the coming hearing.

In an effort to present our audience with different perspectives on these high-stakes proceedings, we will be sitting down in the days and weeks to come with legal experts from across the Palmetto State (and beyond) to get their impressions on what to expect.

Our first guest? South Carolina attorney Lauren Taylor – who joined me to discuss a wide range of case law, context and potential testimony related to the hearing. To watch my full interview with Taylor, click here.

In related news, we broke a big story this week about obstruction of justice allegations facing embattled Colleton County, South Carolina clerk of court Becky Hill. My report – filed on Friday morning – raises some troubling red flags not only about Hill’s conduct, but about the course of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigation into it.

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This episode is also notable for a jarring report filed by our Andy Fancher on a fatal driving under the influence crash in Chester County last fall. Andy will be in Chester on Monday morning for a follow-up as the family in this case awaits some long-overdue accountability.

Finally, we are getting set to cover a huge year in Palmetto Politics – which will include the quadrennial “First in the South” GOP presidential primary next month as well an ongoing battle between the S.C. Freedom Caucus and the “Republican” establishment at the S.C. State House. At stake in that fight? Control of the so-called GOP “supermajority” in Columbia, S.C.

I sat down this week with one of the leaders of the Freedom Caucus – state representative April Cromer – to get her take on the issues likely to drive debate at the State House during the upcoming session. Cromer and I also discussed what to expect on the campaign trial ahead of the June 2024 GOP primary elections.

Look for my full interview with Cromer to drop sometime early next week …

Thanks again to everyone for tuning in. Remember, your support enables everything we do at FITSNews. If you want to help us continue holding those in power accountable – and continue pushing for reforms that enhance accountability at the institutional level – please consider subscribing today.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.

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